Forecast: Another April-Like Day, But This Week Will Turn Colder

Today is leap day, and this means we add a day to February which is of course normally a 28-day month. In spite of having an extra day of meteorological winter, there’s not much winter to talk about.

Today will mark another day in a series of 50-degree-plus days this winter. This year we have seen more 50-degree or warmer days during the December to February period than ever before recorded. It’s quite amazing just how warm it’s been.

If you took all the warm days we’ve had since Dec. 1 and made them a 30-day month, they would average to more like the month of April. In other words, this year, one of the three months of meteorological winter was more like spring than anything else.

Highs expected today. (Dave Epstein/WBUR | Data Courtesy of NOAA)

The warmth this week won’t occur every day. There will be a series of fronts moving through starting late today culminating in a rain storm on Wednesday. Late in the week, it will turn colder, and we will need to keep a close eye on an ocean storm this weekend. The air would be cold enough if this storm came close enough to bring us snow. Presently, I just see a chance of some light snow, mostly over Cape Cod.

Overall the pattern doesn’t look to bring much in the way of cold or snow this month. The longer range forecasts have a warm-up later next week and that takes us past the middle of the month. If we are going to see some significant snow before the season ends, it better happen soon. Golf courses are opening across New England, and the feeling of spring is in the air.